Last-second shot too strong as Hawai’i falls late at UC Davis

Just too much. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on Thursday, seeing two tries from inside the paint roll off the rim too strong in the final seconds as the Rainbow Warriors fell at UC Davis, 68-66. Aggies guard TY Johnson, the Big West’s leading scorer (21.3 PPG), finished with a game-best 23 points and the game-winning jumper with 33 seconds left in regulation as UCD kept pace with the top of the crop in the conference. 

Harry Rouhliadeff led the effort for Hawai’i, coming off the bench to score a career-high 21 points (17 in 2nd half) as the Rainbow Warriors fell on the road to the Aggies for the fifth straight time. Tanner Christensen finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, the sixth time he has recorded 10+ points in the last seven games, but was unable to connect on a putback just in front of the rim that would have tied the game as time ran out in regulation. 

UC Davis (12-8, 6-3 Big West) started out hot in an otherwise unspectacular offensive half, making five straight shots to open the action as the hosts took an 11-7 lead by the first media timeout. The defense of the Aggies suffocated UH ball handlers throughout the opening minutes, seeing multiple late shot clock heaves from the Rainbow Warriors as the offense failed to find any type of rhythm. 

Senior guard Ryan Rapp finally hit on one of the heaves with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, draining his only 3-pointer of the evening to pull Hawai’i (12-7, 4-4 Big West) within two. After Niko Ročak’s putback on the next possession, both teams traded empty chances until Rapp snapped a 5-minute scoring drought with an and-one finish and Akira Jacobs split a trip to the line and tie the game at 18 with 4:47 remaining before halftime.  

After nearly an entire half of offensive ineptitude from both sides, the Rainbow Warriors and Aggies traded tough baskets as the time wound down before the break as Aaron Hunkin-Claytor banked in another end-of-shot-clock prayer from UH. UC Davis guard Leo Debruhl gave the hosts a slim two-point advantage at halftime as he muscled in a layup just before the buzzer, ending a half that saw the teams go a combined 19-of-64 from the field. 

The Aggies came out of the break with a fury, scoring eight of the first 10 points in the second half before UH forward Harry Rouhliadeff caught fire and rattled off a personal 8-0 run to knot the game at 40 with just over 14 minutes left in regulation. Kody Williams (2-13 FG) drilled his second and final three of the game a minute later, giving Hawai’i the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the contest, 43-40. 

Some more Rouhliadeff finesse and finishing helped Hawai’i offset TY Johnson and the UC Davis offense that continued to find success after halftime for a while, but Pablo Tamba tied the game at 53 with an and-one layup with 6:56 to play and put the Rainbow Warriors on the back heel once again. 

The Aggies raced back ahead behind a 7-2 run, taking a 60-55 lead with 4:35 remaining after Connor Sevilla drained his third 3-pointer of the night. Hawai’i’s rally efforts got a jumpstart on the next possession, seeing Niko Ročak pick up his fourth and fifth fouls in five seconds of real time as the forward was whistled for contact against Marcus Greene and slammed the ball into the court after the call, receiving a technical foul. 

The Rainbow Warriors went 3-of-4 from the line, cutting the UC Davis lead down to two with four minutes to play as the program’s first win while visiting the Aggies since 2021 was within reach. 

But then it was TY Johnson time. 

The conference’s top scorer this year showed off his shooting prowess, scoring the final eight points for UC Davis to help secure the Aggies’ fourth win in five Big West home games this season. The guard hit multiple pull-up jumpers from the mid-range, including one to give the Aggies the lead for good with 33 seconds left right after Tanner Christensen split a pair of free throws to give Hawai’i a one-point lead. 

After Johnson split a pair of free throws himself with seven seconds left, the Rainbow Warriors called for timeout with one last chance to tie or take the lead. Marcus Greene got the ball into the frontcourt, worked his way to the cup and got a shot off over a couple UC Davis defenders to try to tie. 

Christensen corralled the miss as it caromed off the rim and quickly tried to put it back as time expired, but the attempt went too strong off the backboard as Hawai’i fell in the final seconds for the second loss in the last three games. 

Pablo Tamba racked up a career-best 19 points to go along with five rebounds in the victory for UC Davis while Connor Sevilla chipped in 11 points (3-of-5 3PT) as three Aggies finished in double digits. 

Hawai’i leading scorer Gytis Nemeikša tallied four points and grabbed five rebounds in 17 minutes of work, playing only three minutes after halftime. Kody Williams and Ryan Rapp each added 10 points and had blocks in the loss for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Saturday concludes one of the most challenging road trips of the season for the Rainbow Warriors as they travel to take on Big West-leading UC Irvine. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. HT as both programs look to bounce back from close, late-moment losses on the road.